Review: Freiyon Fables: A Tail to Remember by Justin Hunt

Freiyon Fables: Tail to Remember by Justin Hunt was a book that I could only compare to one other book and that would be Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The Prologue promises an amazing tale, yet I feel as if the book doesn't quite live up to it. So even thought I compare it to Narnia in style it is nothing like it when it comes to the actual material. The complete book itself is separated into three smaller books (or parts) that is then spread out into chapters.

In A Tail to Remember a squirrel by the name of Micklang escapes from a zoo and in the process is electrocuted, giving his tail a lightning-bolt shape. He then falls into another world in an Alice in Wonderland – down the rabbit hole style. In this new world Micklang receives dreams about his warrior-self telling hi how to become that version of himself. During his journey Micklang makes some surprising new friends, and is reunited with some he has met before in the human world. It is with these friends that Micklang travels this new world, mapping it out.

At one point Micklang comes across an island where his traveling companions are captured and must rescue them before their captors harm them. Then after abandoning ship in a bad storm Micklang finds himself on yet another island, but this one is home to only other lightning-tail animals. Towards the end Micklang goes back to one of the first islands that he visited in this new world, now called Freiyon. It is there that Micklang and his friends fight in the first battle in a war between The Grabbers and King Karel. It is during this battle that Micklang’s story ends but it is not the end of the stories about Freiyon. This is because a little human boy is told about Freiyon by his mother and decides it is time for him to visit this land of talking animals.

What I liked best about this book is that it is a rare occasion when I can honestly say that the ending, specifically the Epilogue is my favorite part. The epilogue tied the entire story together with the prologue when frankly I originally was confused about how it all connected. This actually redeemed the entire book is some ways. What I did not like was that the talking animals and being in a different world or realm gave the book a Chronicles of Narnia feeling. Normally that would be a good thing but in this case the writing style felt simplified and rushed at the same time. Also this book felt like it was intended for children up until book three. In Book Three: The Switch Between Stories the phrases “What the HELL” and “how the HELL” were both used and that doesn't feel kid friendly.

It was hard for me to pick a target audience for this book. My best guess would be for early middle school students and late elementary students, age wise anyway. This is because the length might make it difficult for some elementary students (and some parents may not be thrilled about all the violence, who knows). Yet the simplified writing style may (or may not) appeal to older readers. Most likely it would be dry and boring for anyone out of middle school. That being said I rate this book a 2 out of 4. This is because this story falls in that dangerous zone between being simple enough for young readers and having just enough detail to feel rushed. The action moves from one major event to another without much of a break in between yet the story is sill interesting.

Check out the author's page at https://martinvsmicklang.wixsite.com/justinthunt?fbclid=IwAR1R2QUxJuFxRnsvu_jKZ6lq-7bn_gSo205XpHupNOBD2VxRbL4mDT9wMj4
and
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JustinHuntartist/posts/?ref=page_internal